


Lost Bones

by Melinique



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25320484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melinique/pseuds/Melinique
Summary: Dean got Benny out of Purgatory and went to Louisiana to return his soul to his bones. The problem? Benny’s bones are gone!
Relationships: Benny Lafitte/Dean Winchester
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	Lost Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I either partially blame or credit my beta for this idea. But besides that, this is kind of a ‘What If’ scenario. Because really, how much do we know about this spell that Benny taught Dean?
> 
> Disclaimer: Supernatural and all characters wherein belong to their respective owners, I do not own them nor have I ever claimed to, I’m just playing around with them.
> 
> Other: And, a huge thank you to my wonderful beta from the Stanford Daze series, The Lost Book of Chuck, Vampire Rescue Mission, Creole Pie, my continuing beta for Another Number, and whose now acting as my beta for this one-shot, vrskaandrea - any remaining errors are solely my own.

Dean sat on the mound of dirt, still holding the shovel, with his legs hanging over the edge of the hole he’d dug. ‘Are you SURE this was the right spot, Benny?’ He asked the glowing red portion of his arm - which he’d taken to doing during the four days of hitchhiking from Maine down to Clayton, Louisiana - since he’d figured that depending on the temperature of that part of his arm depended on Benny’s opinion - either that or he’d gone crazy which being a hunter wasn’t entirely impossible. The feeling of the soul - the glowing red portion of his arm - almost seeming frantic going back and forth between his wrist and elbow, he was pretty sure that was Benny’s opinion of him being sure and being frantic to find his bones. NEITHER of them had PLANNED on being stuck together longer than this. Well, neither would have minded but Dean figured he needed to ease Sam into meeting Benny and Benny just needed time to adjust to the fact that it was 50 years since he’d last seen something outside Purgatory. ‘Well, let’s go find Sam, maybe he’ll know how to undo this clusterfuck of a spell!’ Dean said resigned.

Benny knew where he was buried! This wasn’t making sense! Had somebody already dug his bones up? WHY would they do that? Was he somehow WRONG about where he was buried? And, was this really the way he needed to be potentially meeting Dean’s brother? His mind was frantic and he wasn’t sure how long it stayed that way before he could tell that Dean had taken to stroking - because it sure wasn’t rubbing - well, it was technically Dean’s forearm, but it was also where Benny’s soul was so he felt what Dean was doing, which was probably Dean’s intention. Well, whether it was Dean’s or not, it was certainly calming.

Dean made his way up to Rufus’ cabin after all his calls and texts to Sam went unanswered.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Dean wondered what the hell was going on. Syncing with his heartbeat, the red glow seemed to ‘pulse’ not just in the focus point in his forearm but spreading through the veins all over his arm, up his shoulder, the side of his neck and face, and that pulsing would also change his left eye blue during the pulse. But, he’d noticed during the trip up to the cabin that NOBODY ELSE was noticing the pulsing. He had to be losing his damn mind! Or, was this a consequence of being unable to get Benny’s soul back to his bones?

**xXxXx**

‘The Fuck?’ Dean asked - demanded. Okay, so he knew he was dreaming - and that was always weird, to KNOW when ones dreaming. He also knew that the last time he’d had this particular dream, Cas had interrupted his fishing.

‘Dean, what’s going on?’ Dean looked over his left shoulder at the sound of Benny’s confused voice. Why couldn’t he even enjoy fishing in his dreams? It always had to be SOMETHING!

‘I’m dreaming and somehow you’re in my dream.’ Dean explained.

Benny walked over to sit down at Dean’s left. ‘Dream about me a lot, cher?’ He asked with a smirk.

‘How would you like to be fish bait?’ Dean asked annoyed.

‘I would prefer having my own body back.’ Benny admitted.

‘And, I’ll get you back to it, BUT first we have to find your damn bones!’ Dean stressed.

Benny chuckled.

‘What?’ Dean asked concerned.

‘I was just thinking about that song…I don’t remember the title but I do remember the words. I’ve always just thought of the song of as _Dem Bones_.’ Benny admitted.

‘The song’s actually called _Dry Bones_. And please, if you have any heart left in that vampire body of yours…DON’T sing! You can barely whistle, please don’t sing.’ Dean pleaded.

Benny gave a half shrug as a response. ‘So, do you really think we can find my bones?’ He asked concerned.

‘Yes.’ Dean said determined.

‘But, what if we can’t? I can’t just stay inside you forever.’ Benny said worried - this was NOT his idea of getting out of Purgatory.

‘We’ll figure something out. I can’t just let your soul out, you’d end up straight back in Purgatory.’ Dean explained.

‘But, if we can’t find my bones, what else can we do?’ Benny asked resigned.

‘We’ll figure SOMETHING out!’ Dean snapped. ‘I’m not letting you go back to Purgatory just because your bones have disappeared!’ He added determined.

Benny lowered his head before looking back at Dean. ‘Well, you’re dreaming anyways, do you have an extra pole? I haven’t been fishing in a long time, cher.’ He admitted, changing the subject.

Dean handed Benny a fishing pole. ‘Want to bet I’ll catch more fish than you?’ He asked with a smirk.

‘It’s your dream, cher. But, you seem happy, so sure.’ Benny said with a smirk of his own.

**xXxXx**

Dean jumped up off the couch he’d fallen asleep on when he heard a sound - already gripping his make-shift Purgatory weapon. ‘Sammy?’ He asked surprised, just before he’d had a chance to lash out with the weapon.

‘Dean?’ Sam asked equally surprised. Sam was not in fact surprised when Dean tossed holy water on him and then proceeded to run a series of tests to make sure he was actually Sam. He was however surprised when he refused to run the same tests on Dean that Dean didn’t just do this himself. That was very un-Dean like, while he still didn’t fully disbelieve that who he was looking at was Dean, he knew he needed to keep an eye on him because SOMETHING wasn’t adding up.

Dean questioned Sam about Kevin and was about one thread from snapping at Sam after playing the messages on the phone. He questioned Sam about whether or not he’d even bothered to looking for Dean and when Sam explained that not only hadn’t he but that he’d gotten out of hunting - again - and shacked up with a woman - okay, so Dean wasn’t paying much attention about the details at that point, but the only thing that stopped him from taking Baby’s keys and looking for Kevin himself was...he had something of his own to get Sam’s help on. It wouldn’t be the first time they were working several angles at once and they could implode - or explode - later.

Dean rolled his left sleeve up to his elbow and Sam glanced as the red glow of his forearm - oddly, Sam only saw the one concentrated area of the glow unlike Dean who could see the spread - before looking concerned at Dean. ‘Dean, what IS that?’ He asked concerned.

‘His name’s Benny, he helped me get out of Purgatory. I got him out to after he told me where his bones were buried. But, when I went and dug up where he’d told me they were…they weren’t there.’ Dean said, leaving out MOST of the actual story.

‘He’s a monster?’ Sam asked concerned while beginning to watch the glow.

‘Technically. But, he’s more human than some of the humans we’ve come across.’ Dean explained.

‘And, what KIND of monster is he?’ Sam asked curiously, still not taking his eyes off the glow.

‘He’s a vampire.’ Dean said.

‘Dean!’ Sam reprimanded.

Dean shook his head. ‘Just drop it.’ He said tiredly.

‘Why did you bring him out and where’s Cas?’ Sam asked curiously.

‘He’s my friend.’ Dean explained. ‘And, Cas didn’t make it out.’ He added evasively.

‘So, you saved a VAMPIRE but not Cas, the angel WE BOTH owe our lives!’ Sam snapped.

Dean could feel the flare of heat that came with Benny’s anger but besides the fingers on his left hand giving a slight twitch, he didn’t react. ‘Yes, I saved Benny even though I couldn’t save Cas! I wasn’t strong enough to save Cas! That’s NOT on Benny! THAT’S on ME!’ Dean snapped back.

Benny could feel Dean’s well concealed pain from his declaration. He tried to soothe Dean, but he didn’t know how well it worked until he felt Dean brushing his fingers repeatedly over his forearm, he hoped that was a good sign.

**xXxXx**

It actually wasn’t to difficult to track Kevin down once Sam and Dean were…well, not so much on the same page as in the same book. Sam was all for getting Benny’s soul out of Dean’s body and sending him back to Purgatory while Dean was adamant about going back to Purgatory to get Benny if Sam ended up doing that. It was an empty threat from Dean though, if he’d known how to get back into Purgatory, he’d have done it already to save Cas.

Crowley ended up sicking some of his demons on Kevin, Kevin’s girlfriend ended up possessed by one of them before Sam and Dean even found HIM, and when Crowley ended up face-to-face with Dean, he just kept looking at him like HE was the one possessed.

‘What happened to you?’ Crowley ended up asking curiously.

‘What are you talking about?’ Dean asked curiously.

Crowley narrowed his eyes. ‘It’s not just you in there.’ Crowley said before tapping his right index finger against Dean’s chest.

Dean knew that an angel would probably be able to tell that he was carrying Benny’s soul but he honestly hadn’t considered a DEMON being able to. ‘No, it’s not.’ He said defensively.

‘A vampire!’ Crowley whispered surprised. ‘You brought one of the monsters back with you from Purgatory?’ He asked curiously.

‘I’m not half the monster YOU are, petit démon.’ Dean said with a hint of a more Louisianan accent as his eyes flashed blue briefly.

By the time it was over, they had Kevin back but his girlfriend was dead, and Crowley was trying to figure out just what sort of spell Dean and the vampire had used because what he’d seen wasn’t two entirely separate souls but a human's soul with the tendrils of a monster's soul shooting through it. If he were perfectly honest, he was actually fascinated by what was happening with Dean’s soul. He planned to keep an eye on it.

**xXxXx**

Between Kevin telling Sam and Dean about a possibility of closing the gates of Hell and later, the unexplained return of Cas who was oddly behaving - more so then normal, trying to hunt down Benny’s bones seemed to keep getting pushed further and further down the list of things needing to be done. The fact that the pulsing red glowing veins were still only visible to Dean and now covered Dean’s entire body wasn’t nearly as concerning as the way most monsters or demons, even angels seemed to stare at him like he was some zoo exhibit…maybe it was just other humans that couldn’t see the pulsing, it was beginning to be the only thing that made sense to him. The fact there had been more times since that initial run-in with Crowley that Dean had even caught himself speaking more like Benny and Sam had even noticed the eye color change when that would happen…maybe it was something that needed to be looked into. And, the fact that Dean had started being able to actually TALK to Benny outside of dreams was concerning - thankfully, it was possible just to THINK something and not necessarily have to speak it or else, Dean figured Sam would be more persistent about getting rid of Benny’s soul. He’s really not sure what it says that there’s also times where he can SEE Benny too.

Everything went to Hell though when Sam had to go to Purgatory to get Bobby’s soul. The only way Dean could think to make sure Sam found his way out was to send Benny back - but while Benny agreed without hesitation, there was one major problem. Benny’s soul had begun to combine with Dean’s. If it didn’t kill him outright, it was unknown what long-term effects it could have on Dean, it was a risk he was willing to take, though.

Performing the spell to separate their souls was the easy part, but as the spell began to separate their souls, it caused both Dean and Benny excruciating pain. Dean could only think of the time he spent in Hell and the pain he felt at Alistair’s hands.

As everything went black, all he could hear was a mix of his own and Benny’s screams.

**xXxXx**

Dean shot up with a choked breathe. He stumbled to his feet and looked around, ‘the fuck?’ He asked surprised, disbelieving what his own eyes were showing him. He was back in Purgatory!

‘Cher, how are YOU here?’ Benny asked concerned as he stood up slowly.

Dean shook his head, slowly. ‘I don’t know, Benny. I just don’t know.’ He admitted.

‘Well, how about we worry about that later and go and make sure you and your brother get out safely?’ Benny asked, even if it was more of a statement.

‘First, we FIND Sam and Bobby, then we get them and us out.’ Dean said determined.

**xXxXx**

Finding Sam and Bobby turned out to be easy. Getting them to the portal wasn’t much harder considering Dean and Benny had already been in Purgatory before. Sam left through the portal first carrying Bobby’s soul in his arm. When Dean attempted to perform the same spell with Benny, it didn’t work. When Dean reluctantly agreed to leave without Benny with the understanding that Benny stay alive and when Dean found Benny’s bones, he’d figure out a way to come back for Benny’s soul…Dean realized that HE couldn’t get through the portal. ‘Benny?’ He asked confused.

Benny got up close to Dean, cupping Dean’s face in his hands, Benny’s face crumpled. ‘Aw, cher.’ He whispered sadly.

‘Benny?’ Dean asked concerned.

Benny shook his head and stepped back, allowing his arms to drop back to his sides. ‘What happened with our souls trying to merge, while you’re still technically human without any…monster-like abilities, your soul is to much like mine now. When the spell killed me, it killed you, too. You can’t go through that portal without hitching a ride anymore than I could.’ He explained.

Dean smirked. ‘So, I’m dead and stuck in Purgatory?’ He asked with a laugh.

Benny narrowed his eyes in concern. ‘Yes.’ He said hesitantly.

Dean threw his head back and laughed.

‘Cher?’ Benny asked concerned.

Dean looked at Benny, not losing his smile. ‘Hey, I figured I’d either end up in Heaven with a bunch of dicks with wings making my eternal death miserable or I’d end up in Hell and suffer eternal torment at Crowley’s hands. I’ll take Purgatory over either of those. And this way, at least you’re not going at this alone after befriending a Winchester.’ He explained with that smile.

‘JUST friends, cher?’ Benny asked curiously.

In response, Dean surged forward pressing his lips to Benny’s, his right hand going to Benny’s lower back, and Benny’s hands coming around to wrap around his waist. Oh, he could certainly think of worse ways to spend time then this until they figured out a way out of Purgatory, even with the knowledge of monsters being around every corner.

**xXxXx**

Sam had released Bobby’s soul before realizing something was wrong. It wasn’t until he got back to the bunker days later that he realized exactly what it was. Dean shouldn’t have been in Purgatory and as he cradled his brothers body, he had no honest clue how he could get him back.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: Well, I guess it’s a happy-ish ending for Dean and Benny, not so much for Sam.
> 
> Beta's Note: This was a really interesting little one-shot, and I just loved the motive of soul-merging that normally wouldn't happen when two entities share one body. Now that's love. 
> 
> Reviews/Comments/Constructive Criticism welcome!


End file.
